The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment

Buprenorphine (Suboxone®,
Subutex®3, Zubsolv®4, Bunavail™5, Probuphine®6) is an opioid
medication used to treat opioid addiction in the privacy of a physician's office.1
Buprenorphine can be dispensed for take-home use, by prescription.1 This, in
addition to the pharmacological and safety profile of buprenorphine, makes it an attractive
treatment for patients addicted to opioids.2

Is Buprenorphine safe for people with a co-existing psychological illness?

Many people use drugs because they are knowingly or unknowingly self-medicating for an underlying psychiatric condition. In either case, once the addiction is being treated the psychiatric condition will surface and require treatment. This patient would be well served by getting Buprenorphine treatment through an addiction psychiatrist or a psychiatrist who specializes in the illness with which the patient is afflicted.

The Purpose of Buprenorphine Treatment:

To suppress the debilitating symptoms of cravings and withdrawal, enabling the patient to engage in therapy,
counseling and support, so they can implement positive long-term changes in their lives which develops into the new healthy patterns of behavior necessary to achieve sustained addiction remission. - explain -